Be Your Best Self

A week ago my life changed. Not in some crazy kind of way but in one of the gentlest most loving ways possible. Totally unexpected yet completely appreciated. 

There are many people that I look up to and admire, people that live their lives in the way I aspire to. Living with faith, love and honesty in their hearts. A conversation with one of these people, a dear friend for over 20 years, inspired me even more to live my life authentically .

Over the years I have read books, watched videos and attended seminars on living an authentic life ,finding my passion, living from love not fear, discovering my true self. In this exploration ,I have grown into the woman that I am today.. A strong woman, one with the courage to leave an  un-fulfilling marriage and  the strength and ability to co-parent with a love filled heart , a woman that knows that I am worthy , I  am lovable and I am enough. A woman that has come to realize that thru my struggles I have grown to love myself even more than I could imagine and that I am imperfectly perfect and am absolutely ok with that.  

It is so rare to have someone speak to you with such love in their heart, with compassion and conviction.  What he did for me was give me hope and re-affirm purpose. Not that I had ever lost hope, but he reminded me that we can all have whatever we want in this beautiful thing called life .  He reminded me to continue doing what I have been doing : living my truth and being the best that I can be. I have re-evaluated things in my life since our conversation and removed things and people that don't align with my soul . I am focused on taking care of ME, mind (reading and continuously seeking and  learning) , body (eating what nourishes my body and keeping my body in optimal health by moving it everyday), and spirit (praying, meditating , journaling). THIS is the gift he gave me, the gift of knowing /following my truth and purpose .

We can never settle or live a life less than what we imagine, as it isn't our truth. I am forever grateful for my friend, for his kind words and his open heart. He is proud of me and I am blessed to call him my friend. 

Live each day fully and from a place of truth and love ❤️

JUST BE

-A

Connection

There are some people in this world that you are connected to. That no matter how many miles between you, that no matter what circumstances may arise.. Your souls are intertwined and connected for eternity. 

People talk about soul mates in such interesting ways, that they complete you , that it just feels "right" , that they know each other's thoughts or can finish each other's sentences and I agree with that but I also feel that there is more. I believe that soul mates push you and challenge you to be the best version of you possible. What that means is that they push you outside of your comfort zone , encouraging you to dig deeper inside of yourself for your truth and purpose. If two people merely come together and never lift one another higher , things become stagnant. The same is true when one person seeks truth and growth and the other does not. The power of a soul mate is in the depth of which they share themselves with you, the transparency ,the trust, and the vulnerability that they are so willing to display. Living from a place of love and never from a place of fear.

A soul mate shows up in all forms: friends, lovers, family, co-workers... There are just some people that you connect with on a soul-ular level. Pay attention ,open your heart and accept all that comes your way in this  amazing life that we are given. 

Live each day fully and be present in the moment so that you recognize the gifts all around you. 

JUST BE.. Open,loving,kind,compassionate, faithful, strong, generous... The best version of YOU possible❤️

Living authentically

I've been wanting to write here again for so long. Yet kept putting it off, keeping the words, thoughts and emotions inside.  

And then when I take time to actually put the words on paper... I can't, because I have so many thoughts at once. Several different stories to tell yet all intertwined as one. Tales of love and loss, new beginnings, wanderlust , connection, friendship and my yogi travels. Stories of hope and of disappointment , feelings of excitement and sadness , the feeling of butterflies in my stomach as well as feeling that dull pain in my heart . The urge to protect myself yet knowing that I can't live fully while being fearful, being afraid to live and love openly and honestly does not align with who I am. I choose to live my life authentically .

So here I am, rough around the edges, a little scarred but so amazingly strong and imperfectly perfect. Living each day to it's fullest . Full of forgiveness , love,

Compassion and feeling blessed and grateful for each experience. My dear friend Pilar told me that Nothing happens by coincidence, everything happens for a reason.. You meet people to either teach them a lessons or to learn a life lesson from them.  Pretty simple when you think about it, yet also pretty amazing. 

So I guess I end this today by saying, be kind ,caring and compassionate to yourself and also to others .  Live your life from a place of love and authenticity .

-A

Balance

I've been told by a friend that I lack balance. This came as a shock to me because I have always multi tasked and have always felt balanced. I gave it some thought after being told that "as spiritual that you are and being a yogi, its interesting that you're not balanced at all". WTF?

I take on more than I can handle, my head is always spinning and then I take on more until eventually I have some kind of epiphany that I'm doing too much. That's balance right? I quit when I realize that I'm a hamster on a wheel going nowhere. I balance 3 kids, activities, teaching, social life etc... That's balance right? Or is it not because I'm so exhausted at the end of any given day.. That I crawl into bed exhausted and still can't sleep because my mind is racing.  I wake up with more to do in a day than i can handle and somehow cheat my way thru it. Major realization.. I. AM. SO. NOT. BALANCED.

So I raise my hand here.. Totally NOT balanced BUT working on it. Here are my goals to bring more balance into my life.

1. Say NO . No explanation required.

2. Make time for My practice daily.. Yoga and mediation 

3. Set a limit on kids activities , they don't need to be overbooked and neither do I 

4. Get organized so I don't waste time searching for things that are hidden in plain sight 

5. Get rid of the things that no longer serve me 

6. Take I time for ME, when I'm happy and have good energy, everything just seems to flow a little better

7. Make To-Do lists ( daily and weekly)

8. Use a calendar to keep track of activities : I have double booked half marathons a couple of times , expensive lesson

9. Un-plug - so very important to spend time face to face with people and not try to document every moment on social media. 

10. Realize that I can't do it all 

So thank you my friend , for being a true friend and speaking your truth . For forcing me to see (although it's taken awhile) how I could live more authentically. 

In every relationship, whether with a friend,co-worker,spouse ,partner or family member...we are there to teach one another and also to learn. Our only goal is to do so with an open heart and mind. What we see in others is usually a reflection of something within ourselves .